The below letter was sent via e-mail on April 3 to USDA Under Secretaries Ted McKinney and Bill Northey. The letter commends USDA for the actions that it has taken recently to increase the domestic supply of raw and refined sugar and encourages USDA to use its authority to take the following further actions:

  1. As the increased refined TRQ is operationalized, institute requirements that will prevent the quota being filled by high-polarity raw sugar, as has sometimes happened in the past.
  2. Continue to monitor the markets with an eye to acting sooner rather than later, given the need to optimize capacity utilization in the cane refining sector.  It seems to us highly likely that additional TRQ increases will be needed during the year.